Beer: Ratings & Reviews

I really liked this beer. It's well-made and very tasty and drinkable. I'd drink it again without thinking twice. Makes me wonder what it is about beers like this one that make them better than so many of today's overdone imperial stouts.

Appearance - 4.25/5Extremely dark brown, almost black. Two fingers of light brown head. The head dies down a little, but stays at about 1/2 finger for a while. Great lacing. There are various small to large particles which can be seen in the beer.

Smell - 3.5/5Strong chocolate then alcohol aromas fill my nose. I swish the beer around again and take another sniff. Chocolate/mocha, and the alcohol is even stronger this time. The alcohol smell reminds me of vodka. I like the chocolate aspect, don't like the "vodka" aspect.

Taste - 2.25/5Roasty and smoky, sweet roasty chocolate/mocha. Strong vodka-like alcohol taste. I was going to say the taste wasn't that bad, but then I realized my face cringed upon my first sip. So I can't rationalize this away and say it's great, because clearly my body says otherwise. Yeah, after taking a few more sips I can say that I definitely don't like this beer. It literally tastes like someone poured a little bit of vodka into a stout. It's not good. This is one of those beers I was tempted to pour down the drain (I didn't...mainly because I hate wasting beer, and I wanted to finish the review).

Poured from a can into a tulip pint. Dark, almost black; fluffy tan head. Smell is sweet roastiness, maybe some coffee notes. Taste is quite sweet, but the slightly charred flavor at the back keeps it from being cloying. Thick and smooth. A pleasant beer.

Heavy medium bodied with a very smooth texture that approaches creamy. Above normal carbonation level with effervescence from the middle on.

The outstanding flavor profile is intense, complex and well balanced. It begins with a blend of flavors that separate into chocolate, a hint of coffee and very subtle prune. In the middle, the big malt sweetness comes forward with a molasses and caramel flavor against a mild bitterness of citric hops and roast. The finish is a slow sweet fade and leaves you with that nice slight alcohol burn at the back of the throat amid an effervescent burst.